A headline-making breakout of the nasty norovirus gastrointestinal bug and sightings of mice in guestrooms reported by guests on TripAdvisor.com are not ideal ways to launch an ambitious, upscale hotel.

One of the tastier trends to emerge from the cookie-cutter realm of airport dining is that more vendors are attempting to add local flavor to their menus. Adventurous eaters who cruise the concourses increasingly will find iconic regional foods mixed among generic fare, as well as branches of popular area restaurants.

Is James Frey's My Friend Leonard, the sequel to his discredited A Million Little Pieces, fact or fiction? In an author's note to the paperback edition, which has just come out, Frey says it's some of both.

Customers can probably wrap their minds but not their hands around the new noshing concept at Plus, a bar/lounge/pool hall in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Executive chef Ale Aziz is pumping up his menu with gargantuan appetizers, entrees and drinks, all meant to be shared, in theory at least.

The two sides of Tampa Bay also have separate faces when it comes to their signature recipes. Cuban cooking rules on the Hillsborough side, thanks to a large Latin population. Marine cuisine is the headliner on the Pinellas side, due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. But there also is diversity, giving the two counties an engaging, sometimes classy mix of eateries.

Up front, a confession (though not an apology) on behalf of the chefs and restaurateurs of Orlando: This is not foodie heaven on the scale of Paris, New York or San Francisco. But Orlando has matured since the early days of Disney, when fast food joints and bargain buffets were virtually the only options in town.